6. It opens files from Dropbox and Autodesk's online storage, but not from the local computer.

7. It displays drawings in 2D model view, 2D layouts, 3D wireframe, and 3D solid (shaded). It must reload the drawing each time you switch between 2D and 3D modes. Its lists layer names, blocks, layout names, and properties in a side panel.

8. It is inaccurate at displaying some AutoCAD objects (traces, solids, 3D polymeshes, vertical text, and so on), and does not display others (constraints, fills, generated drawings, and so on). Dynamic blocks do not work.

Oct 11, 2013

By charging developers 30% to host their iOS apps at the iPhone/iPad online store, Apple drove down the prices. In days of the nearest equivalent, apps for Palm Pilots were priced typically $10 to $25 under a 0% service fee; with the 30% charge, Apple drove down prices to a tenth of the former level.

(There is the myth that iOS apps are more profitable than Android ones. A recent analysis shows, however, that the number of free apps at Apple's online store rose over the years, and now is at 95% as developers look for revenue sources that avoid the 30% tax: in-app advertising and in-app sales. When 99-cent apps are added in, the percentage rises to 98%. We Android users welcome iOS users to the land of the free!)

As revenue models change in one market, they change in another. In recent years we saw CAD vendors begging customers to pay full price + pay annually, instead of the old model of pay full price + pay upgrades. It seems that about half of CAD users have fallen for the pay-every-year model.

A few CAD vendors introduced rentals, where users pay a lot more for short-term use, but rentals do not appear popular. Even fewer vendors offer the base software free, and then hope to make money through add-ons or upgrades.

England's Electrocomponents last month introduced another pricing model: free, with money mande on selling hardware parts. The company's two brands -- RS Components and Allied Electronics -- sell three million different products for electronics and maintenance. To make their part sales more popular, they are giving away a stripped-down version of SpaceClaim.

Well, the idea is not so new, for it appears that Electrocomponents copied some elements of the Dassault Tactic: attack a competitor by licencing some commercial software free and have the community provide support. (In Dassault's case, they licensed ARES from Graebert, and to attack AutoCAD provide it free under the name of DraftSight.)

The British company last week announced 50,000 downloads in the first two weeks to 150 countries. The company describes the number of downloads as a sign of urgency among engineers "for freely accessible, time saving design
tools." Said the press release:

Mark Cundle, global head of technical marketing at RS, said, "If there was
ever any doubt about the potential demand for a free 3D design tool, these
staggering initial uptake figures are more than proof that engineers in every
part of the world are hungry for tools that make it faster and easier to
complete the design process and get their products to market.

"The simplicity and
affordability of DesignSpark Mechanical opens up 3D design to a much wider
engineering base and creates a level playing field for companies of all sizes to
compete."

Affordable to end-users, but not to Electrocomponents, because there are royalty payments involved, and not just to SpaceClaim. Nearly all CAD software uses technology licensed from others, such as VBA programming from Microsoft, surface and solid modeling from Spatial or Siemens PLM, and translators from a host of providers. Free DraftSight excludes most of these; free DesignSpark includes most of them.

Will the Big Three notice and so react to Mr Cundle's taunt about leveling the playing field? (The three would Dassault Systemes, Autodesk, and Siemens PLM.) They have free software in 30- or 60-day demos, in so-called labs, and in education. But CAD vendors live and die by the big profits from their commercial accounts, which now under attack by the "virus" of free.

During last week's annual fest for financial analysts, Autodesk described the variety of ways it plans to rise prices and fees on customers to help get it out of its current financial decline. Now it has two interlopers is throwing free grit into the finely-tuned gears of its desktop sales.

The execs in charge of competitive intelligence at Autodesk, DS, and Siemens today are hoping that initial enthusiasm for DesignSpark will sputter and become a dying ember.

Adobe came out with this software in 2005, and when I read that, it occurred to me that Autodesk could crush its ankle-biting competitors -- Bricsys, Graebert, and ITC -- by releasing AutoCAD 2006 (shipped in 2005) free. That's all it would take.

Jun 06, 2012

We were surprised when non-CAD-vendor Google bought SketchUp, but then learned they wanted it to populate Map and Earth with 3D buildings, first as simple extrusions and then with bitmaps pasted on the sides. The problem was that it involved manual labour and so coverage was spotty.

We were then even more surprised when Google sold SketchUp to Trimble, known more for professional GPS systems than for CAD software. Today, we learned why: Google no longer needs SketchUp for its intended purpose.

Instead, Google is using a new technology to automatically generate 3D buildings from 45-degree angle aerial photography made by overlapping passes of aircraft. Each airplane has five cameras: four that point at 45 degrees, and one that points down. Then the data is processed:

1. The aerial photos are combined to create 3D models.

2. Colors are determined for each area. 3. A textured 3D mesh is applied.

4. Saved in a space-efficient format. 5. Delivered to Google Map and Earth users; even trees and landscaping is in 3D. So, yah, SketchUp had become obsolete for Google.

Jun 05, 2012

IronCAD is a rarity in our biz, a dual-kernel, dual-mode CAD package. It is based on Parasolid and ACIS; it does history-based and direct editing. It ought to be really popular, but it isn't. (Probably because it didn't have the marketing budgets that Dassault Systemes and Autodesk could plough into SolidWorks and Inventor.)

What would it take for you to use IronCAD, instead of another MCAD package? You probably wouldn't, but the folks at IronCAD think you should try it out, anyhow. Like any other CAD vendor, they had their 30-day free trial version, but now they are throwing out to us an all-free package: IronCAD Compose.

It's for...

Viewing IronCAD files; purchase the optional file translator, and it views files from other CAD packages

Apr 02, 2012

ProsFast. Lightweight, both in terms of footprint and system resources. Clean interface. Easy to use and understand, especially for those with past CAD experience. Full 2D feature set. Customizable interface, and has the ability to run simple script macros (such as a one-button print). Dassault and Graebert continue to improve the product with each new release.

ConsRequired to buy a 5-seat minimum, which raises the price to $1,250.For those have existing API functions in AutoCAD or Bricscad, be aware that there are a great number of missing functions and a number of bugs that have yet to be corrected. For example, LISP has none of the "VL-" functions are available, and there are no workarounds for many of them, such as the VL-BB functions. A known bug in the ExtMin and ExtMax system variables (renamed getxyurfit and getxyllfit in DraftSight) remains uncorrected thru the last release, V1R1.4. If any of your existing programs rely on these they will fail.

Support calls for main program issues are handled fairly quickly, even if it's just to reply that they hope to correct the issue in the next release. API support tends to be more sluggish, with responses that can be vague, or at times even off the mark. But if you have the tenacity to continue to press your question, eventually you will have an answer -- even if it’s not the one you were hoping for.

SummaryOur company is for now dropping its pursuit of DraftSight Pro as an AutoCAD alternative. Although it shows good promise, there are simply too many missing pieces to make it a viable alternative. We will re-evaluate this software in two years after it has had more time to mature. Bricscad remains our cost-effective AutoCAD replacement of choice.

[Bill Tybring is with Engineering Supt Services at Maysteel LLC in Allenton Wisconsin, and has been an AutoCAD AutoLISP/VBA programmer since 1995.]

Mar 09, 2012

A couple of years back, I visited the offices of Nanosoft in Moscow. There Dmitry Popov and his team showed me their dream for a free AutoCAD workalike. The money would be made through selling add-on applications. Some initial excitement greeted my report, and then interest faded. Russians are lousy at marketing.

Then earlier this week, I heard from Mr Popov, who wrote me:

It was long time ago you have visited our office and got pre-alfa version of nanoCAD. We promised you that nanoCAD will be available soon. Well, not soon, but the waiting is over. We just released nanoCAD 3.5 world-wide. BTW There are 120,000 new nanoCAD users in Russia for the last half a year. I like the number.

The UI of nanoCAD is handsome. Even the Web site's been given a make-over. So, what d'you get in addition to a CAD program to looks and runs like AutoCAD? Some of its special functions include linetype editor, creating viewports from model space, and an Excel-style table editor.

As for APIs, it includes the following:

OLE Automation (Visual Basic Script/Java Script)

C++ (NRX + MultiCAD API)

.NET

But no VBA or AutoLISP. The developer program is free.

As for the "why" in "Why free," nanoCAD explains it this way: "We started to develop nanoCAD back in 2008 inspired by a high piracy level in the global CAD software market. Our aim is to protect corporate CAD users business processes from legal risks and prosecution by offering them reliable, free and a hundred per cent legal solution – nanoCAD."

Feb 07, 2012

It's not just the monster* CAD vendors with their millions in R&D spending who come up with new ways of interacting with our beloved software. Sub-$1000 and even free CAD systems are doing their own thing, even as they avoid the Microsoftian-view of how a UI should operate (that is, ignoring the awful ribbon interface).

Bricsys Invents the Quad Cursor

Last fall, I reported on the new in-drawing interface Bricsys added to the 3D direct modeling component of Bricscad V12. They call it the "quad cursor," because it displays five buttons. Well, before competitors of Bricsys start guffawing, it starts with a one central button; when you move the cursor over it, four more buttons appear.

The center button is the last-used command, while the diamond ring of four present three of the most likely other commands for the selected part, plus the More button that drops down a shortcut menu of other options. The colors of the quad cursor indicate the type of element being edited. Here, green means a face is being edited.

Graebert Dassault Systemes Adds Mouse Gestures to DraftSight

Meanwhile, over in the land of free, a recent update to Dassault Systemes's DraftSight adds mouse gestures. These are four or eight movements that activate a command. Four is good when you don't want to be overwhelmed, eight is the max.

To use this one, you press the mouse's right button, and then move the mouse in one of the four (or eight) directions: up, down, left, etc. This starts the command that is associated with the movement, such as Line or Offset.

When you do a longer drag, a wheel segment appears on the screen briefly, visually reminding you of the command you activated. Naturally, you can also look at the command bar.

When you do a very short drag, then the full wheel appears with all four or eight icons representing the commands.

You can change the command associated with each movement through the Tools | Mouse Gestures option. (Graebert has a license to use this IP in its ARES software, upon which DraftSight is based.)

When it comes to innovation in CAD UI's, you don't drop $4,000 or $6,000.

-----

*) "Monster" is defined here as $1 billion or more in annual revenues.

Aug 24, 2011

First PTC released Creo Sketch 1.0 as free software, and yesterday Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express 4.0 followed. Now, this is not exactly new-new, because this software always has been free -- it was previously known as "CoCreate Personal Edition."

Ken Wong has a good review of the software over at www.deskeng.com/virtual_desktop/?p=4238 . Not mentioned in his report is that you need to activate the software before you can use it at all; before you can activate it, you have to register with PTC; to do that, you need to create an account with PTC. So no 30-day hassle-free trial on this one.

Jul 27, 2011

Dassault Systemes didn't just license Graebert's ARES, and then dump it out there as DraftSight for free. They've gotten Graebert to add features, making DraftSight more and more viable as an AutoCAD alternative. Well, of course, that's was the master plan all along -- displacing AutoCAD, I mean.

It now runs more more operating systems than does AutoCAD, and last week's update adds a few more keen features to catch up a bit more with AutoCAD:

One command to place every kind of dimension: linear, aligned, radial, diametrical, arc length, and angular. Now, the interface is a bit awkward, since the command-prompt area becomes a hodge-podge of options, but it is a first good step. (In AutoCAD: QDIM)

You can place dimensions in sheet view (paper space of layout tabs), and have them connect to geometry in model space. Prviously, dimensions were only allowed in model space. (Also in AutoCAD.)

Click a dimension node (grip) to flip the arrowheads in or out. (In AutoCAD: AiDimFlipArrow)

GNU LibreDWG is a free C library to handle DWG files. It aims to be a free replacement for the OpenDWG libraries. GNU LibreDWG is based on LibDWG, originally written by Felipe Castro.

LibreDWG is in alpha development stage. There are no binary releases yet. GNU LibreDWG is currently being maintained by Rodrigo Rodrigues da Silva and Felipe Correa da Silva Sanches.

DWG R13, R14 and 2000 are currently supported, with progress on DWG 2004; the Reed-Solomon encryption added to DWG 2007 is a problem. Some documentation is, unfortunately, in Esperanto, the failed universal language.

There is a English wiki at groups.fsf.org/wiki/LibreDWG, and the programmers are looking for AutoCAD-knowledgable types to explain CAD concepts to them.

Jan 18, 2010

You can also add AutoSolid to upFront.eZine's Unhappy New Years list. Partly the
economy, but also partly due to Autodesk improving AutoCAD's solid modeling ability. They haven't brought it up to par with AutoSolids, but it's been enough to
reduce our profits to an unacceptable level.

We feel bad for our
previously-very-happy customers, many of whom have told us that they can't/won't
upgrade their AutoCAD if it doesn't have AutoSolids. We can't help that one,
but to help other AutoCAD users we've made all of our products free to download
(http://www.autosolids.com/downloads.htm),
no strings attached.

Nov 09, 2009

Nothing fancy, no dynamic blocks, but these basic blocks will probably do well for architectural and office drawings. Each collection is in a single AutoCAD 2005 DWG file, ranging from Awning Windows EV.dwg and Wall Shelves.dwg. Also includes vehicles, some electrical and piping, and foundation details.

(Two other pages of mechanical and miscellaneous details don't seem to be working.)

Oct 22, 2009

From Autodesk Labs comes "simple, hassle-free 2D drawing software" named Cooper, that reminds me of the marketing that surrounded AutoSketch back in 1987. The big difference? AutoSketch used its own SKD file format, while Cooper uses "one of the most widely used design format" -- I wonder what that might be? (Hint: The program's .exe file is named DWGEDITR; will SolidWorks sue?)

From the specs, it looks like the software was designed to run on netbooks.

The Cooper project name comes from Austin Cooper, the small car. (HT: Scott Shepherd.) I wonder if Autodesk will change the name to DWGEditR next April?

Updates

Installed it. Started a new drawing. It crashed. Bad news: it takes over the .dwg file association from AutoCAD. (Default is AutoCAD DWG Launcher, but then it opens every .dwg file in Cooper.)

While it was running, though, it looked to me as if it might be based on Impression. The install takes up 250MB nearly 400MB, because it includes a copy of Vault 2010. Like AutoSketch, Cooper includes a sample sailboat drawing.

Oct 13, 2009

Google's new Building Maker software is designed to turn you into willing slave labour, and turn flat Google Earth towns into 3D models. Your pay is the admiration of your peers, or as the Google video says, "millions of people around the world" will see your work. Yah, as if they care about you.

Google has prepped 50 cities with six views of each building. Apply cubes to the building, using the six views to ensure the corners of the cubes match the building's corners. Submit to Google Warehouse, and then someone checks your work.

Can you imagine that job?

"So what do you do?""I work for Google.""Kewl!""Not really. I check that the corners of cubes match the corners of photographed buildings. I do that a couple of thousand times a day. No big deal."

Oct 07, 2009

Well, not really. In that this is the same Alibre offer as before: download the current version of Design (now V12), run it free for 30 days -- after which it reverts to Alibre Xpress, which offers these limitations, as explained by CADDIT:

All CAD vendors offer trial and free versions as at tease, of course, hoping the customer will pay for the full experience (and then keep paying, year after yea)r. CAD Schroer is no different, but they have a very different twist on the money-making side. I'll let Michael Schroer explain it:

Many MEDUSA4 Personal users, aware that the software restricts drawings to
non-commercial use, have enquired about the possibility of licensing their work for commercial
purposes.

CAD Schroer's response is the launch of an online service which automatically
converts drawings into PDF or DXF files, removing restrictive watermarks and granting the
license for commercial use.

Jul 17, 2009

Over on my Gizmos Grabowski weblog, I've been describing my most recent experiences with Linux, first Presto (promising, then a fail), and now Mint.

For nearly ten years, I've been playing around with Linux, and now the Ubuntu-based Linux Mint seems to be The One. No surprise, since the Mint distribution places its emphasis on improving the user experience.

I now have Mint running on both my netbook computers, the original Asus EEE 701 4G and a more recent LG X110 (dual-boot with Windows 7).

May 11, 2009

Breton Slivka of Busting at the Seams blog says he has obtained the source code of the software that eventually became Autodesk Animator Pro -- a 256-color pixel animation program that was very popular in the early 1990s.

The original author, Jim Kent, wrote it for the Amiga home computer; when he licensed it to others, he kept the copyright to the source code.

Now that he has the source code, Mr Slivka wants to create an open source version. But he lists these problems:

Some material in zip files might not have been written by Mr Kent.

Documentation is copyrighted by Autodesk.

Fonts are licensed from Anim8.

And he needs to figure out how (1) to compile the source code and (2) to compile it with open source compilers.

May 06, 2009

More interesting to managing director Michael Schroer is how popular the Linux version is proving with downloaders in some of the 109 countries:

Italy -- 75% choose Linux.

Average -- 35% choose Linux

Germany -- 13% choose Linux.

CentOS, Fedora, Mandriva, RedHat, SuSE, and Ubuntu users get smart editing, basic 3D, parametrics, and a sheet metal design module. To download, you have to register and then provide the Physical Address of your computer's ethernet adapter. Following installation, the software runs for six months, after which the license must be renewed, for free.

The company did not provide download numbers.

The apparent enthusiasm for Linux-based Medusa CAD matches comments by Deelip Menezes about the native Linux-based Bricscad due out later this year: "[Bricsys] are excited as h**l about it. It is going to cause a stir and they know it."

Apr 09, 2009

...latched onto the worst-economic-disaster-since-the-Great-Depression meme and released free versions of their flagship computer-aided-design brands before their potential users are forced to sell their laptops on Craigslist.

The slash.dot crowd makes these observations:

These software firms are worried the unemployed will turn to free CAD software.

"Not all Solidworks' customers want a hand out. I actually want to pay them for a full license for an Ubuntu port. But they'd rather hand them out to Windows users for free than take my money."

"...a portion of the 'uncertainty' is due to the fact that everyone is certain that we are in 'uncertain' times. If we stopped pushing that down folks throats, then there might be less panic..."

"Nothing like an economic meltdown to make Co's recognize the value of their most important asset: their current and potential customers."

"And there have been reports that some laid off workers are starting their own companies..."

Unthinkable that people should start their own companies! From where will mega-corporations get the employees they need when everyone if off doing their own thing?

Students and faculty have been able to get free 13-month licences of selected Autodesk software titles for several years, and now the company expands the program to the unemployed in the fields of architecture, engineering, design, and manufacturing. From the newly created Autodesk Assistance Program portal, you can download any of the following:

AutoCAD

Inventor Professional

Revit Architecture

Civil 3D

The portal has links to free online training, as well as the opportunity to write certification exams at a discount.

So how does Autodesk tell if you really are unemployed? You have to hand over the names of your former employer and human resources contact, and then Autodesk will spot-check that your former boss really was mean enough to fire you.

At 13 months, this is the most generous program for laid off CAD users -- other than CAD software that already is free, like Alibre Xpress and IMSI/design's DoubleCAD. Programs from other CAD vendors are typically good for six or 12 months.

Mar 31, 2009

Also, if you want more power (like the geometric constraints included in the $4,000 version of AutoCAD 2010), we're honoring AutoCAD LT's upgrade price of $575 for DoubleCAD XT PRO for the next two months -- and we're honoring this for *any* version of AutoCAD LT (not just three versions back).

Mar 26, 2009

Google slid a vector drawing add-on to Google Docs yesterday. It's more like a Visio than a CAD package. But it is semi-intelligent, with things definable arrowheads, vector text, and editable splines. There is an animation option I haven't figured out yet.

"Sketchy" is based on SVG for most Web browsers and VML for IE. You access it with the Insert | Drawing menu item.

I must've stumbled on it early, because this morning I found articles announcing the add-on at Techmeme.

Mar 11, 2009

RenderPlus is a company staffed by some of the people who used to make Aritek (purchased by Softdesk 12 years ago), and they have a list of add-ons for SketchUp that you can download for free from here:

RpWallMaker creates wide walls and cut openings.

RpTreeMaker create custom tree components.

RpEdits lays out your 3D components and ones from the 3D Warehouse.

ProjectSketch selects and places commercial office furniture.

The site also has non-free add-ons, such as for rendering, generating BOMs, and editing 3D components.

Dec 23, 2008

IMSI/design showed off its provocatively-named A/CAD software during Autodesk University (note that I wrote during, not at). And now it's no longer named A/CAD.

Reader N.C. is keen on checking out this free, AutoCAD-like software, but this week discovered the name's been changed to DoubleCAD. In addition, the marketing acadnow.com URL points to firstlook.imsidesign.com -- which promises to save the global economy in December.

Dec 05, 2008

The Graphisoft division of Nemetschek has put together a package to entice users from CAD to BIM (building information modeling). It seems like a good idea, so I thought I'd check it out at trialregistration.graphisoft.com.

The Experience includes the following items:

A fully working version of ArchiCAD. Free. Sort of: for 30 days, and it saves files in an indeterminate "trial" format that I am guessing is incompatible with the paid version, because the site warns, "Saves TRIAL files that automatically upgrade to FULL files upon purchase of a commercial license." I wonder if the time limit is 30 days of use, or 30 days whether you use it or not.

Two hours and 10 lessons of BIM training. The lessons use Frank Lloyd Wright's Massaro House, though I suspect Mr Wright probably didn't have access to BIM on that particular design project. Maybe if he had, his buildings wouldn't leak so badly.

A 15-minute online multiple-choice test that checks your understanding of BIM. It's 15 minutes, because you are limited to 1.5 minutes per question. I found the 1-min 30-sec countdown clock made the questions even more intimidating to answer.

Trying Out the Quiz

I'm not Joe BIM Wiz, so I thought I'd try out the BIM Quiz just to see how dumb I am. I got 70%, but Graphisoft didn't tell me which questions I got wrong or how I compared with anyone else. (Only the very best marks are listed publicly.) You might be able to do better, depending on whether you are able to answer questions like #8:

Q: How does a BIM application support "green design" ideas?

A1: Thermal calculations can be made of the designed structures. It is possible to check if the values can be classified as "green" or not.

A2: The developers of various BIM applications organize competitions for prizes to support "green design" ideas.

A3: You can set the software so that it will warn you if the design you have made is not an environment-friendly "green" design.

A4: Since there are several "green" engineering applications that understand and are able to use data coming from BIM applications, it is very easy and fast to check the rightness of the design from this point of View.

It seems to me that all four answers are correct. If not, then BIM isn't all that fantastically great as marketing departments make it out to be.

In addition, Acrobat requires the use of an external program to edit the 3D; QuadriSpace provides an integrated environment that lets users edit the 3D directly without leaving the document authoring application.

The free software offered by SYCODE under the OpenRP Initiative is designed to help the RP industry overcome the limitations of the STL file format - large file size and zero security. Using this software CAD software developers can add RP file support to their CAD systems, end users can exchange their designs quickly and securely and service bureaus can accept RP files from end users to quote and build prototypes.

Aug 21, 2008

Renditioner is a rendering plug-in for SketchUp. Now there is a free version from IMSI/Design, albeit limited to images of 640x480. There’s also an Express version (1024x768) and the $200 full version (4096x4096 and multi-threaded).

IMSI/Design’s Bob Mayer says, “Google set the standard with their free version of SketchUp. Following their example, we wanted to make the first easy one-click rendering solution available to everyone for free.” It's either that or the competition – fact is that there are lots of rendering plugins for SketchUp, and there is a need to distinguish oneself from the others.

Aug 01, 2008

Synchronous Technology applies to 3D modeling only. Therefore, this technology is not included in Solid Edge 2D Drafting.

On another note, however, the user interface for all Solid Edge products (including Solid Edge 2D Drafting) has been brought up to the latest, taking advantage of the Office 2007 look and feel. Note also that Solid Edge 2D Drafting still includes parametric sketching, Goal Seek, and support for developing layouts that can be used in 3D.

Jun 09, 2008

It views, draws and edits elements, measures, and prints V7 and V8 DGN files in 2D. The included PDL lets you write macros.

(It used to also handle DWG files, hence the "dual cad" name, but Pangaea found the ODA libraries too cumbersome, and dropped DWG. As a result, the size of Dual CAD fell from 10MB to 2MB. With Dual CAD no longer dual-CAD, what to do about the name? Keep it, for it refers now to the dual uStn formats, V7 and V8. AutoCAD 2008/9 users can export their drawings to DGN, and then use DualCAD.)

May 27, 2008

Via is a Taiwanese chipmaker that today unveiled its OpenDesign site, where you can download the CAD files for a notebook computer.

Powered by the VIA C7-M ULV processor, the Windows Vista-capable VIA OpenBook mini-note reference design is a small, 1kg, 8.9" Mini-Notebook form factor design that supports screen resolutions of up to 1024x600.

To download the CAD files, you need to register at the site. I did, as much as I get r-e-a-l-l-y tired of Web site registrations. But then it got worse when the picture code is nearly unreadable and so I had to enter it in numerous times before getting it right. Once registration was finished, I was prevented from entering the CAD download site for the following reason:

Your login has been blocked. Please contact the administrator.

At this point I gave up. The only thing I was interested in was learning the format of the CAD files. Update

The CAD files are in prt.n format, ie prt.1, prt.2, and so on. I assume that these are Pro/Engineer part files.

Apr 15, 2008

Alibre is giving away its new CAM Xpress free, but only to a selected group of users. In Google GMail fashion, the Elect will be permitted to invite others (the Sub Elect) to also get their free copy of CAM Xpress (formerly Alibre CAM). The related Web page is vague as to how one qualifies, other than to leave one's email address.

Mar 18, 2008

Autodesk released a reduced-function edition of Inventor last year in preview mode. The plan was to decide what to do with the product this time this year. They've decided to keep it free (for at least another year), as well as update some of its features to match Inventor 2009 in some ways.

Inventor LT Technology Preview 2009 will become available before the current one expires May 1, 2008; it'll be free, but will stop working roughly a year later. (It's not yet available.)

Jan 23, 2008

Cadalog has a beta of an IFC plugin fore SketchUp 6. It directly imports IFC-formatted models and their BIOM data into SketchUp, such as from Revit, ArchiCAD, VectorWorks, MicroStation, and AutoCAD Architectural.

The research department of Secom and Cadalog are looking for beta testers, particularly those using Revit, ArchiCAD, Microstation, or Architectural. You can download the free IFC2SKP beta from ohyeahcad.com/ifc2skp.

Jan 17, 2008

CAD Schroer Group adds a Sheet Metal Design module to the free Personal version of MEDUSA4 2D/3D CAD software. It runs on six Linux variants -- CentOS, Fedora, Mandriva, RedHat, SuSE and
Ubuntu -- as well as two varients of Windows, 2000 and XP.

Nov 06, 2007

Several CAD packages work with SharePoint, a piece of Microsoft software that searches through data. Solid Edge has been a big proponent of it, and more recently Inventor noted that it will be getting onto that particular bandwagon.

The problem for the CAD user is that SharePoint isn't free. But soon a stripped-down version will be. Search Server 2008 Express returns search results from multiple databases, local computers, and Microsoft's sad Live.com Internet presence. The free version is limited to running on a single server; the non-free one allows the software to run on multiple server. In beta soon, shipping by June of next year, requires Windows Server OS, which isn't free.

If you can't wait until next year, IBM and Google already have their free enterprise search software products on the market. Dunno if they work with CAD software, tho.